Haiti Committee

Haiti Committee Mission Statement

The Haiti Committee is a faith-based committee, deeply rooted in the principles of the Gospel and the traditions of the Catholic Church.

As a ministry of the Catholic Community of Jeffersonville, the committee is dedicated to addressing the spiritual concerns of our Sister Parish, Saint Raphael, located in Saint Raphael, Haiti.

Empowered by God, we strive to make both the Catholic Community of Jeffersonville and Saint Raphael a better place.

Through prayers, donations, and obedience to God, the committee strives to help the people of Saint Raphael become self sufficient and provide a better quality of living for their families. We will strive to maintain on-going resources to continue this much needed mission work we have committed to do.

Guided by the loving Spirit of our God, we will communicate to the parish our outreach efforts, budgetary information and needs, a deep devotion for new ministry opportunities and evaluation of current effort.

The mission and ministry of the Haiti Committee of the Catholic Community of Jeffersonville is to support our Sister Parish, Saint Raphael Parish in Saint Raphael, Haiti. This committee was formed with a vision and mission to serve those in need.

Through the dedication and loving spirit of this committee; first led by our former Pastor, Father Raymond Schaffer and two members of our parish, Shirley Sweatt and Eileen Hahn, and guided by the loving Spirit of our God, they embarked on a mission to evaluate the needs of our sister parish in the country of Haiti. From that beginning the Haiti Committee continues serving the needs of our Sister Parish. Regular trips are made to continue to support and help improve the lives of the people of Haiti.

Haiti is located in the Caribbean in the western third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic. The country is slightly smaller than the state of Maryland. The capital is Port-au-Prince. The climate is tropical; semiarid where mountains in the east cut off the trade winds. The terrain is mostly rough and mountainous. Haiti lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and is subject to severe storms from June through October; and occasional flooding and earthquakes; along with periodic droughts. Extensive deforestation has occurred with much of the remaining forested land being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel; this has led to soil erosion. Also, there are inadequate supplies of potable water.

The population of Haiti is about 7.063,722 but is being drastically effected by the high rate of mortality due to AIDS. Ethnic groups include a large population of black people and a minor population of white people. The principal religion is Catholic with a small percentage of various Protestant faiths. The native language is French and Creole. About 80% of the population lives in abject poverty. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two thirds of the economically active workforce. Agricultural products consist of coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum, and wood. Industries consist of sugar refining, floor milling textiles, cement, light assembly industries based on imported parts.

The giving of the people of our parishes include; prayers, sacrifices, words of encouragement, thoughtful donations, and acts of caring. By the sacrifices and the generous support of the members of our parishes, they have begun a ministry of help and service that reaches out to some of the poorest people on earth. Our parish has raised funds to give aid to our sister parish and those people that live in Saint Raphael. Students of the Sacred Heart School as well as parishioners have been generous in their support of this ministry. Through their efforts peoples lives are being changed for the better. Through the ministry of the Haiti Committee, the Catholic Community of Jeffersonville is making a difference in Haiti.